Mobile refuse retriever

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a mobile refuse retriever which is to be used to pick up and carry away objects such as bar garbage bags, bundles of trash, limbs, rubbish, and the like. The present invention utilizes on a motorized vehicle a hydraulic crane having a cage on its free end to grasp or scoop the refuse. The crane then deposits the refuse on the receiving end of a conveyor carried by the vehicle. Also carried by the vehicle is a packer body having a packer plate with a normally closed door therein. The discharge end of the conveyor deposits the refuse through this door and onto the operative side of the packer plate.

United States Patent 1 1 1 1 M ma Heffington 51 ay 1, 1973 MOBILE REFUSERETRIEVER FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [76] Inventor: Thomas E.Heffington, 4605 1,004,551 3/1957 Germany ..2l4/90 R Valerie, Bellaire,Tex.

[ Filed: Sept. 1970 Primary Examiner-Albert J. Makay Appl. No.: 74,189

Related US. Application Data Attorney.lames F. Weiler, Jefferson D.Giller, William A. Stout, Paul L. De Verter, ll, Dudley R. Dobie, Jr.and Henry W. Hope 5 7] ABSTRACT The present invention is directed to amobile refuse retriever which is to be used to pick up and carry awayobjects such as bar garbage bags, bundles of trash, limbs, rubbish, andthe like. The present invention utilizes on a motorized vehicle ahydraulic crane having a cage on its free end to grasp or scoop therefuse. The crane then deposits the refuse on the receiving end of aconveyor carried by the vehicle. Also carried by the vehicle is a packerbody having a packer plate with a normally closed door therein. Thedischarge end of the conveyor deposits the refuse through this door andonto the operative side of the packer plate.

12 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 7/7020; '5. Heff/qgfw;

SHEET 1 OF 2 PATENTEDW Hm m E1 w fim b n BM U flbi MOBILE REFUSERETRIEVER This application is a continuation of may copendingapplication Ser. No. 828,832, filed May 29, 1969, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The problem of refuse or garbagecollection today in our ever growing population centers is becoming anincreasingly large one. Costs are rising sharply for both personnel andequipment. In addition, the type of personnel employed in the collectionof such refuse cannot, in many instances, be depended upon to remain onthe job for very long, due among other things, to the natural desire toimprove oneself and move above the stigma attached to garbage collectiongenerally, as well as to the fact that many laborers so employed areonly interested in working for short periods of time. Thus, there is theoften present problem of finding additional or replacement personnelwhich at times of high-employment becomes quite difficult.

In general, it may be said that while high density population areas havegrown rapidly, the techniques of collecting the refuse from these areashave not kept pace. Everyone is familiar with the dump truck or morerecently the type of truck containing the packer body, travelinghaltingly down a residential street, driven by one man while two to fourothers scurry about emptying cans or throwing garbage bags or bundles oftrash into the truck. This method is very slow, and because of thenumber of workers involved, it is relatively expensive. Further, ashortage of workers can severely hinder this type of operation.

Automated equipment is available, however, for large producers of trashand garbage, such as businesses. Such equipment utilizes large andrelatively expensive refuse containers which are lifted by lifts on thefront of the trucks to dump their contents into the truck body. Thistechnique and this type of equipment would not be practical for homeuse, however, for various well-known reasons.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention provides meansfor overcoming the above-mentioned disadvantages and discloses a vehicleutilizing equipment whereby the driver of the vehicle can both pick upand deposit in the body of the vehicle the garbage bags, rubbish, etc.,that is being collected. The preferred embodiment of the presentinvention disclosed herein utilizes an enclosed truck body havingslidably mounted therein a packer plate. Such arrangement is generallywell-known in the art.

Mounted near the forward end of the vehicle is a crane of a designdisclosed herein and having at its free end a rotatably mounted cage orbasket. This cage is so designed to pick up garbage bags, bundles oflimbs, trash and the like, without breaking them open or dropping themas a result of movement of the vehicle or of other similar actions. Alsomounted near the front of the vehicle is a conveyor into which the craneand cage deposit the material that has been picked up. The conveyor thenmoves the collected refuse to the enclosed body and through an openingtherein.

The packer plate has a door which is rotatable to an open position. Thedoor rotates in only one direction and provision is made for an abutmentwithin the packer body to hold the door in its open position when thepacker plate is in its retracted position. The discharge end of theconveyor feeds through this door so that the refuse is placed on theproper or operative side of the packer plate.

Controls for each of the functions of the equipment disclosed herein arelocated at the operator platform so that the driver can both drive thevehicle and perform the various functions set forth.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a mobilerefuse retriever which may be operated by one man.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a vehiclewhich utilizes a crane having a scoop or cage for picking up anddepositing refuse in the truck, the scoop being so designed to allow theoperator to scoop up the refuse without stopping the motor vehicle.

Still another object is to provide such a retriever vehicle having aconveyor for use in connection with the crane for conveying the refuseinto the packer body or truck body for transportation to the dump,compost plant or the desired location.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide such aretriever vehicle which is comprised of components which will provide arelatively simple and economical method or technique for collectingrefuse.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide apparatuswhich may be operated by an operator of relatively little skill withrelatively little training, yet one which will perform in a safe,reliable and dependable manner.

Other and further objects, features and advantages will be apparent fromthe following description of the presently preferred embodiment of theinvention, given for the purpose of disclosure when taken in conjunctionwith the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Like character references designatelike parts throughout the several views of the drawings, which views areas follows:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the present invention showing the crane in itsreturn position with the packer body being partially broken away forpurposes of illustration,

FIG. 2 is a front view of the preferred embodiment with a portionthereof being broken away for purposes of illustration,

FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the presently preferred embodiment witha schematic view of a portion of the hydraulic system used therein, and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cage used in the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT For purposes of thisapplication, the term refuse will be used to describe the type ofmaterial which is to be collected or picked up by the present invention,and includes, but is not limited to, such as garbage bags, boxes,debris, bundles of limbs and other trash and other types of rubbish ingeneral that is loose or in disposable containers. In addition, the termgrasp as used herein in describing the action of the cage in picking uprefuse would also include a scooping action wherein the weight of therefuse is sufficient to allow it to be scooped into the cage.

Turning now to FIG. 1, the present invention is generally indicated bythe numeral and is shown as it might be incorporated into a standardtruck generally indicated by the numeral 12. The truck is composed of acab portion 14 which as indicated in the drawing may be eliminated inthe present invention. The vehicle is further comprised of the framegenerally indicated by the numeral 16, and a packer body 18. In thebroken away portion of FIG. 1, a packer plate is shown within the packerbody 18 and is slidable along the rail 22. The means of moving thepacker plate is the hydraulic cylinder 24.

A door 26 is positioned in the packer plate 20 and is rotatable in aclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1. Stop means 28 prevent thepacker plate from rotating in a counter-clockwise position when thepacker plate moves to the rear of the truck to compress the refuse. Whenthe packer plate is in its retracted position shown in FIG. 1, a stop orabutment 30 is secured to the forward wall of the body 18 to maintainthe door 26 in its open position.

A conveyor generally indicated by the numeral 32 is also mounted on thefront of the truck, and to provide room for the conveyor 32, at least aportion of the cab must be eliminated. The conveyor should be maintainedas low as possible in order to provide unobstructed vision for theoperator. It is for this purpose that the conveyor bends sharplydownwardly at its forward end.

The conveyor is comprised of an endless belt 34 and a side wall 36 asseen in FIG. 2, this sidewall 36 extending on both sides of theconveyor. The sidewall 36 also is enlarged at the receiving end of theconveyor to form a receiving basket 38. The conveyor is powered by ahydraulic motor 37 (See FIG. 3). Access is provided into the packer bodyfor the conveyor by means of the opening 39.

An operators platform 40 is, of course, positioned near the forward endof the vehicle and is positioned sufficiently high to allow the operatora broad range of visibility which will extend at least 180 (See FIG. 2).The height of the operator platform is also necessary to enable theoperator to see over the conveyor, as well as the crane boom. Controls42 for the operation of the vehicle are provided at this platform alongwith controls 44 for operation of the crane. To incorporate the presentinvention into an existing truck body and frame design, extensionlinkages indicated by the broken lines 46 in FIG. 2 must be utilized toextend the control functions, such as the braking system, steeringsystem, etc., to the elevated operator platform. The manner in whichextension linkages and the various types of apparatus that would beneeded therefor can be incorporated would be obvious to one skilled inthis automotive field.

Turning now to the crane itself, it is comprised of a generally A-shapedsupporting frame 48 which is secured to the frame 16 of the truck, asshown in the cutaway portion of FIG. 2. The crane itself is generallyindicated by the numeral 50, and its rotative movement about a verticalaxis is provided by the vertical post 52. Two swing cylinders 54 arepositioned in the truck as shown in FIGS. 1,2 and 3, both of which havea com mon piston rod 56. A gear member 58 eo-acts with the piston rod 56to provide means for rotating the crane about its vertical axis.

The crane has a primary boom 60 rotatably connected about a horizontalaxis to the vertical post, and a secondary boom 62. The secondary boom62 has a telescopic section 64 which telescopes into and out of theportion 62. In order to accomplish this, a hydraulic cylinder 66 iscontained within the boom 62. Movement of the primary boom isaccomplished by the cylinder 67, and a cylinder 68 connects the primaryand secondary booms for movement of the secondary boom.

The cage 70 located at the outermost end of the boom will be describedin detail below. It is connected to the boom extension member 64 bymeans of a bidirection motor 72 which allows the cage to rotate about agenerally vertical axis. Any suitable bidirectional motor issatisfactory for this purpose but the Series 20, bi-directionalhydraulic motor manufactured by TyRone Hydraulic, lne., of Corinth,Miss., may be employed for both the conveyor and bucket.

The cage 70 is made up of two opposed jaw members 74 and 76, andcylinders 75 and 77 are used to open and close these jaws individuallyof each other. These cylinders 75 and 77 are secured at one end to themember 78 which member is rotatably secured to the boom so that thecylinders 75 and 77 can rotate as the cage rotates.

Turning now to FIG. 4, the cage is shown in greater detail and on anenlarged scale. It is comprised generally of rods 82 about which eachcage jaw rotates. A plurality of curved frame members 84 extend from themembers 82 to form the cage. Various bracing members 86 may be utilizedto insure sufficient rigidity. Although the cages normally used would bethe open framework embodiment shown, if desired sheet or wire material88 may be placed over the frame members to make the cage a more completeenclosure. In addition, the end plates of FIG. 2 may be employed. Shoulda complete enclosure be desired, the frame members 84 would, in allprobability, not be required and the jaws made from a solid sheet ofmaterial with perhaps some bracing where necessary.

Turning now to the hydraulic system utilized in the present invention,the lines and equipment used to extend the various components of thesystem are shown schematically in FIG. 3. A three-stage pump 90 isutilized for the system and power for the pump is supplied from themotor of the vehicle through the power takeoff means 92. The pumputilized in the present invention may be of any suitable design ormanufacture, but the hydraulic pump TPZO-Series 3 Place manufactured byTyRone Hydraulic, Inc., of Corinth, Miss., would be suitable. Areservoir 94 serves as the hydraulic fluid (hereinafter referred to asfluid") reservoir tank. Lines 95 lead from each stage of the pump to thecontrol panel 44 at the operator platform.

The pressure switches, accumulators, control valves, relief valves, andfour-way valves, both manual and solenoid operated, and the generalcontrol panel itself may be made up of known prior-art components suchas manufactured by the fluid power division of Aurora Corporation ofIllinois. The particular controls and arrangement of parts therefor areavailable from manufaeturers thereof and the design thereof for thecrane arrangement shown would be within the knowledge of one skilled inthis art. Accordingly, the particular controls arrangement does not forma part of this invention. The control panel is such that the cranefunctions may be performed by the single control rod or a variety asdesired. Simplicity is desired, however, in order that the apparatus maybe operated by operators of limited skill and training.

From .the master panel 44, appropriate feed lines 96, 97, 98, 99, 100and 101 lead to and supply fluid to the cylinders 67, 68, 66, thebi-directional motor 72, and the cylinders 75 and 77, respectively.(Many of the numerals have been omitted from FIG. 3 to preventunnecessary confusion in view of the plurality of lines included there.)In addition, feed lines 102, 103 and 104 supply actuating fluid from themaster control panel 44 to the swing cylinders 54, the hydraulic motor37 and the cylinder 24. Return lines are indicated by the numerals 106,107, 108, 109, 110 and 111 for the return of fluid to the tank 94 fromthe cylinders and bidirectional motor as shown in FIG. 3. Return lines 112, 113 and 114 perform the same function for the swing cylinders 54,conveyor motor 37 and the packer plate cylinder 24. From the reservoir94, the fluid is conveyed to the pump by means ofline 115.

As will be readily understood by one skilled in this art, propermanipulation of the control at the control panel 44 will direct fluid toselected cylinders for their operation. In this manner, the crane isoperated to pick up and transfer to the conveyor various bags or bundlesof refuse. The forcing of hydraulic fluid into one side of the piston ineach cylinder will, of course, require the exiting of fluid from theopposite side of the piston, and for this reason, the return lines havebeen provided. As will also be readily understood by one skilled in thisart, to provide a full range of movements for the crane and cage, asecond hydraulic system similar to that shown in FIG. 3 will berequired. This second system, however, will direct fluid to the sides ofthe pistons in each cylinder from which fluid is exiting in the diagramof FIG. 3. In addition, return lines will be required for the sides ofthe cylinders that receive actuating fluid in the diagram of FIG. 3. Inthis manner, the boom components may be raised, lowered, rotated,extended to any desired position and returned from that position. Inactual practice, however, the supply lines of FIG. 3 will act as returnlines and the return lines of FIG. 3 will supply fluid when such areversal of their functions is required for operation of the crane.Appropriate valving and supplementary lines (neither of which is shown)would, of course, be required to connect the supply lines of FIG. 3 tothe tank 94 and to connect the return lines of FIG. 3 to the controls44. The diagram of FIG. 3 has been used to give a simplified idea of theoperation and is merely for illustrative purposes only.

In operation, it is anticipated that the vehicle of the presentinvention will move slowly down the center ofa residential street. Theoperator perched on the operator platform can easily see on either sideof the street, and the boom will be able to rotate through an arc ofapproximately 200. In addition, when extended full length, the combinedbooms and cage can reach for a distance of approximately 22 feet on thispreferred embodiment. This gives a satisfactory range to the operator sothat he can reach to the curb of either side of the street. In addition,sufficient range is provided by the boom to allow reaching behind parkedautomobiles to pick up refuse. Thus, the necessity of moving the vehiclefrom street curb to street curb is eliminated.

The leading edge 79 of the jaw 76 is curved upwardly to prevent bothjaws from meeting at the lowermost point of the cage. Thus the jaw 74will move the refuse to be collected onto the jaw 76, where it will besupported. This gives less chance of tearing a refuse bag, as well asprevents the jaws from tearing up lawns. It also allows the operator toscoop up the refuse bags as well as pick them up vertically, as bygrasping.

Movement of the crane from its extended position to the position whereatthe refuse can be deposited within the conveyor will be relatively swiftas compared to workers carrying such materials to the truck. If desired,automatic controls can be placed in the master control panel 44 thatwill, upon actuation of an appropriate switch, return the crane to theposition shown in FIG. 1 and automatically open the cage, thus releasingthe refuse into the basket 38. Such automatic return would increase thespeed of the device in view of the fact that the operator can beginmoving to the next location of refuse while this is being done. Thus, hewill be free from returning the crane to its retracted position shown inFIG. 1. The arrangement of control for its automatic return orretraction is again something that would be within the knowledge of oneof ordinary skill in this art and could be accomplished by valves biasedto a position where the crane would assume the position of FIG. 1. Theenlarged basket 38 on the receiving end of the conveyor allows for acertain amount of error in the positioning of the cage for the releaseof the refuse through the conveyor.

Once the refuse is deposited on the conveyor it will move to thedischarge end of the conveyor which is positioned at the door 26. Therefuse bundles will then fall into the operative side of the packerplate and the cylinder 24 may be actuated to compress the refuse towardthe rear of the body 18 in the well-known manner of operation of thistype of equipment. The door 26 will fall to its closed position duringthe compressing step to prevent refuse from passing through it.

As can be seen from an examination of the above, therefore, the presentinvention readily achieves the objectives set forth at the outset aswell as others inherent therein. A piece of equipment has been disclosedwhich will result in considerable time saved, as well as personnelneeded to perform the necessary task of refuse collection and disposal.A device has been disclosed which requires only one operator, and he maybe of limited skill and training. In addition, reliable means areprovided which are relatively simple and inexpensive. This allows forease of manufacture, as well as reduction of costs involved. The resultis a significant increase in the speed and time required to collectrefuse, as well as anticipated substantial reductions in the costsinvolved in spite of the increase in the initial expense for thepurchase of this equipment.

What is claimed is:

l. A mobile refuse retriever including,

a vehicle having,

an operator control platform where the drives the vehicle,

a motor for movement of the vehicle,

an enclosed body for receiving the refuse,

a packer plate slidably mounted in the body and normally positioned nearthe operator platform,

a normally closed door in the packer plate that is rotatable to an openposition, said door being rotatable away from said operator platform,

operator conveyor means including a receiving end and a discharge end,the discharge end positioned at said door when the packer plate is inits normal positlon,

crane means for the pick up and transfer to the conveyor of the refuse,

actuating means for the operation of the crane, and

control means operatable at the operators platform for the control ofthe actuating means.

2. The invention of claim 1 and including,

cage means on said crane means for grasping the refuse to bring aboutits pick up and transfer to said conveyor.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein,

the cage means is further defined as being rotatably mounted on thecrane means,

said actuating means including,

bi-directional means for rotation of the cage means.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein the cage means is further defined asincluding,

two opposed jaws movable to open and closed positions by said actuatingmeans, each of said jaws being comprised of,

a plurality of curved frame members in spaced juxtaposition and fixedlysecured to each other, the frame members of one of said jaws havingupturned leading edges.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein the cage means is further defined asincluding,

two opposed jaws movable to open and closed positions, each jaw being ofa generally curved configuration, the leading edge of one jaw beingupturned.

6. The invention of claim 2 wherein the conveyor is defined as,

extending from near the front of the vehicle into the body, thedischarge end of the conveyor being positioned for discharge throughsaid door when the door is in its open position,

the conveyor having a downward bend near its receiving end,

a retaining side wall around the conveyor, the side wall forming anenlarged basket at the receiving end of the conveyor.

7. The invention of claim 2 wherein the crane is further defined asbeing comprised of means is further defined as including,

a primary cylinder extending between the post and primary boom,

a secondary cylinder extending between the primary and secondary boom,

cylinder means within the secondary boom for the telescopic extensionand retraction thereof,

a bi-directional motor rotatably connecting the cage means to thesecondary boom for the rotation thereof,

means is further defined as including,

a hydraulic pump connected to the motor by power take-off means,

a reserve tank,

a control panel on said operator's platform to which hydraulic actuatingfluid is pumped under pressure,

hydraulic lines connecting the control panel to said cylinders, motorand cylinder means for conveyance of said fluid to and from saidcylinders, motor and cylinder means, and

valve means in said panel for selective conveyance of hydraulic fluidthrough said lines to said cylinders, motor and cylinder means inresponse to operation of the control panel.

10. A mobile refuse retriever including,

a vehicle having,

an operator platform,

means for driving the vehicle at said platform,

a motor for movement of the vehicle,

an enclosed body including,

a packer plate slidably mounted in said body for compressing the refuse,

a normally closed door in the packer plate that is rotatable to an openposition, said door being rotatable away from the operator platform, I

abutment means in said body for rotating the door to its open positionwhen the packer plate is in its position nearest the operator platform,

conveyor means having a receiving end near the front of the vehicle anda discharge end positioned to discharge through said door when thepacker plate is in its position nearest the operator platform,

hydraulic crane means for the pickup and transfer to the conveyor of thebags, said crane means being comprised of,

a vertical post mounted in said vehicle for rotation about a generallyvertical axis,

a primary boom connected to the vertical post for rotation about agenerally horizontal axis,

a secondary boom rotatably connected to the primary boom for rotationabout a generally horizontal axis, the secondary boom being telescopic,

cage means rotatably connected to the outermost end of the secondaryboom and being comprised of,

two opposed jaws movable toward and away from each other to closed andopened positions, respectively, the leading edge of one of said jawsbeing curved upwardly,

hydraulic actuating means for the operation of said crane means,including,

a primary cylinder extending between the post and primary boom,

a secondary cylinder extending between the primary and secondary booms,

a third cylinder within the secondary boom for the telescopic extensionand retraction thereof,

a bi-directional motor rotatably connecting the cage means to thesecondary boom,

a cage cylinder for each of said jaws for opening and closing itsrespective jaw,

control means operable at the operators platform for the individualcontrol of said hydraulic actuating means, and including,

a hydraulic pump operatively connected to said motor by power take-offmeans,

hydraulic fluid reservoir means, 7

line means for conveying fluid from the pump to said cylinders and motorand from said cylinders and motor to said reservoir means, said controlmeans further including,

valve means for selective conveyance of the hydraulic fluid through saidline means to said cylinders and motor in response to operation of thecontrol means at said operator platform.

1 1. The invention of claim 10 wherein,

the crane means has a normal position in which the cage means ispositioned for the deposit of refuse onto the receiving end of theconveyor, and including,

return means in said actuating means for the automatic return of saidcrane means to its normal position upon actuation of said return means.

12. A mobile refuse retriever including,

a vehicle having,

an operator control platform from which the operator drives the vehicle,

means for propelling the vehicle,

a body on the vehicle for receiving the refuse,

compacting means in said body for compacting the refuse,

conveyor means extending from the front of the body past the operatorsplatform to a position at least as close to the front of the vehicle asthe operators platform, and including a receiving end and a dischargeend,

front wall means through which the discharge end of the conveyordischarges the refuse into the body for operation thereon by thecompacting means,

crane means including a pivotal boom and pick-up means at the endthereof for picking up and transferring refuse to the conveyor,

retaining wall means around the conveyor for retaining refuse on theconveyor,

actuating means for the operation of the crane means and pick-up means,and

control means operable at the operators platform for the control of theactuating means.

1. A mobile refuse retriever including, a vehicle having, an operatorcontrol platform where the operator drives the vehicle, a motor formovement of the vehicle, an enclosed body for receiving the refuse, apacker plate slidably mounted in the body and normally positioned nearthe operator platform, a normally closed door in the packer plate thatis rotatable to an open position, said door being rotatable away fromsaid operator platform, conveyor means including a receiving end and adischarge end, the discharge end positioned at said door when the packerplate is in its normal position, crane means for the pick up andtransfer to the conveyor of the refuse, actuating means for theoperation of the crane, and control means operatable at the operator''splatform for the control of the actuating means.
 2. The invention ofclaim 1 and including, cage means on said crane means for grasping therefuse to bring about its pick up and transfer to said conveyor.
 3. Theinvention of claim 2 wherein, the cage means is further defined as beingrotatably mounted on the crane means, said actuating means including,bi-directional means for rotation of the cage means.
 4. The invention ofclaim 3 wherein the cage means is further defined as including, twoopposed jaws movable to open and closed positions by said actuatingmeans, each of said jaws being comprised of, a plurality of curved framemembers in spaced juxtaposition and fixedly secured to each other, theframe members of one of said jaws having upturned leading edges.
 5. Theinvention of claim 3 wherein the cage means is further defined asincluding, two opposed jaws movable to open and closed positions, eachjaw being of a generally curved configuration, the leading edge of onejaw being upturned.
 6. The invention of claim 2 wherein the conveyor isdefined as, extending from near the front of the vehicle into the body,the discharge end of the conveyor being positioned for discharge throughsaid door when the door is in its open position, the conveyor having adownward bend near its receiving end, a retaining side wall around theconveyor, the side wall forming an enlarged basket at the receiving endof the conveyor.
 7. The invention of claim 2 wherein the crane isfurther defined as being comprised of a vertical post mounted in saidvehicle for rotation about a generally vertical axis, a primary boomconnected to the vertical post for rotation about a generally horizontalaxis, and a secondary boom rotatably connected to the primary boom forrotation about a generally horizontal axis, the secondary boom beingtelescopic and having the cage means rotatably connected to itsoutermost end.
 8. The invention of claim 7 wherein the actuating meansis further defined as including, a primary cylinder extending betweenthe post and primary boom, a secondary cylinder extending between theprimary and secondary boom, cylinder means within the secondary boom forthe telescopic extension and retraction thereof, a bi-directional motorrotatably connecting the cage means to the secondary boom for therotation thereof, cylinders for opening and closing said cage meanslocated at the outermost end of the secondary boom, said control meansincluding means for the individual control of said cylinders, motor andcylinder means.
 9. The invention of claim 8 wherein the actuating meansis further defined as including, a hydraulic pump connected to the motorby power take-off means, a reserve tank, a control panel on saidoperator''s platform to which hydraulic actuating fluid is pumped underpressure, hydraulic lines connecting the control panel to saidcylinders, motor and cylinder means for conveyance of said fluid to andfrom said cylinders, motor and cylinder means, and valve means in saidpanel for selective conveyance of hydraulic fluid through said lines tosaid cylinders, motor and cylinder means in response to operation of thecontrol panel.
 10. A mobile refuse retriever including, a vehiclehaving, an operator platform, means for driving the vehicle at saidplatform, a motor for movement of the vehicle, an enclosed bodyincluding, a packer plate slidably mounted in said body for compressingthe refuse, a normally closed door in the packer plate that is rotatableto an open position, said door being rotatable away from the operatorplatform, abutment means in said body for rotating the door to its openposition when the packer plate is in its position nearest the operatorplatform, conveyor means having a receiving end near the front of thevehicle and a discharge end positioned to discharge through said doorwhen the packer plate is in its position nearest the operator platform,hydraulic crane means for the pickup and transfer to the conveyor of thebags, said crane means being comprised of, a vertical post mounted insaid vehicle for rotation about a generally vertical axis, a primaryboom connected to the vertical post for rotation about a generallyhorizontal axis, a secondary boom rotatably connected to the primaryboom for rotation about a generally horizontal axis, the secondary boombeing telescopic, cage means rotatably connected to the outermost end ofthe secondary boom and being comprised of, two opposed jaws movabletoward and away from each other to closed and opened positions,respectively, the leading edge of one of said jaws being curvedupwardly, hydraulic actuating means for the operation of said cranemeans, including, a primary cylinder extending between the post andprimary boom, a secondary cylinder extending between the primary andsecondary booms, a third cylinder within the secondary boom for thetelescopic extension and retraction thereof, a bi-directional motorrotatably connecting the cage means to the secondary boom, a cagecylinder for each of said jaws for opening and closing its respectivejaw, control means operable at the operator''s platform for theindividual control of said hydraulic actuating means, and including, ahydraulic pump operatively connected to said motor by power take-offmeans, hydraulic fluid reservoir means, line means for conveying fluidfrom the pump to said cylinders and motor and from said cylinders andmotor to said reservoir means, said control means further including,valve means for selective conveyance of the hydraulic fluid through saidline means to said cylinders and motor in response to operation of thecontrol means at said operator platform.
 11. The invention of claim 10wherein, the crane means has a normal position in which the cage meansis positioned for the deposit of refuse onto the receiving end of theconveYor, and including, return means in said actuating means for theautomatic return of said crane means to its normal position uponactuation of said return means.
 12. A mobile refuse retriever including,a vehicle having, an operator control platform from which the operatordrives the vehicle, means for propelling the vehicle, a body on thevehicle for receiving the refuse, compacting means in said body forcompacting the refuse, conveyor means extending from the front of thebody past the operator''s platform to a position at least as close tothe front of the vehicle as the operator''s platform, and including areceiving end and a discharge end, front wall means through which thedischarge end of the conveyor discharges the refuse into the body foroperation thereon by the compacting means, crane means including apivotal boom and pick-up means at the end thereof for picking up andtransferring refuse to the conveyor, retaining wall means around theconveyor for retaining refuse on the conveyor, actuating means for theoperation of the crane means and pick-up means, and control meansoperable at the operator''s platform for the control of the actuatingmeans.